Q: What do you understand by client care?
It is a
continuous process or concept of understanding client’s requirements,
suggestions, complaints etc. and analysing it to find a solution suitable to
client requirements and to enhance our own business.
Q: How you will identify who the clients are and
their behavioural patterns?
• Specific software packages – contacts databases or relationship
management databases.
• Developing capture plans to assist in the identification and capturing
of a specific client’s needs.
• Understanding clients’ timescales so that responses can be tailored to
suit.
• Understanding the need for a polite and professional approach to all
business
• Understanding the need for clear concise communication to keep clients
informed of developments.
Q: How you will identify and utilize the systems
and processes for managing client care?
• Customer complaint procedures
• Quality Assurance procedures
• Other policies such as sustainability, equal opportunities,
environmental policies etc – depending upon the clients requirements.
• Customer satisfaction questionnaires
• Client feedback meetings
• Lessons learned workshops
Q: Give a practical example of a client care
exercise that you have been involved in?
Here you will need to outline a practical example
of where you have instigated or carried out specific client care activities. You
may want to discuss a specific project that you were involved in where client
care activities were carried out – often this takes the form of questionnaires
or feedback meetings – describe the process that was adopted – formal
questionnaires or informal questions. Did you undertake client interviews? If so
were these face to face or telephone interviews?
You should then describe the process of
understanding, analysing and acting upon the information gained. Describe the
feedback you obtained and how you changed the service offering the show the client
that you had acted upon the feedback they had given you. You may also want to
cover how all this links into your quality assurance procedures and what
internal reporting you did to communicate your feedback
Q: Explain the concept of identifying clients /
colleagues / third parties who are your clients and the behaviour that are
appropriate to establishing good client relationship?
• Identifying Clients – This area should consider both existing and
potential new clients. It is important to address that client care for an
existing client base is vital and requires an active management. The process of
identifying new potential clients in a particular market sector and how to
attract them to your business.
• Types of clients – An understanding that different industry sectors
have varying structures and these affect the nature of the client and their
general objectives and interests.
• Behaviours – An overview of professional conduct with reference to the
RICS guidance on ethics and rules for practices and individuals.
Q: The systems and procedures that is appropriate
for managing the process of client care, including complaints.
• Client care on projects – Clarity of communication lines and ongoing
dialogue with the client on the deliverables of the team and their input to the
project.
• Client account management – The process of structured account
management, ensuring that developments in the client organisation are tracked
and that there is interaction at a number of seniority levels. Additionally the
process of maintaining regular contact away from current live projects to
identify how assistance can be provided with longer term client business
objectives.
• Client feedback – Process for collecting and responding to client feedback.
Alternative processes such as project reviews, informal feedback and managed
client satisfaction surveys.
• Client business development activities – The concept of arranging off
line business development activities and events as a mechanism to build broader
relationship with clients.
• Complaints – maintaining alternative lines of communication / routes
for complaints and how these should be ideal with by a practice. The RICS
guidance on ethics should be referred to as the option for clients to make
formal complaints to RICS.
Q: Explain the requirement to collect data,
analyse and define the needs of clients.
• The briefing process – The importance of the briefing process and
defining a clear scope of works for the team so that the expectations of both
parties are aligned.
• Job Planning - The internal process of planning how the client’s
requirements will be met for both specific deliverables and broader input to
the project, together with how this relates to the pricing and management of
the commission.
• Continuous Client Management – identifying a process to capture any
changes to the needs of the client and the project.
Q: Provide example of how you have applied a
number of these principles of client care within your business activities?
Eg.- A
Cost consultant working on a number of projects. The type of issues will be,
Who is
your primary client? Explanation of the organizations’ processes for obtaining
feedback from clients as a project progresses. (Please find examples from our
own work field)
Q: Difference between a Client and a Customer
In
general both "customer" and "client" can be defined as
"one that buys goods or services." However, there is only the one
definition for customer, but has five other definitions for client. A client is
also defined as "the party for which professional services are rendered,
as by a lawer" and as "One that depends on the protection of
another." The main difference between a customer and a client is that a protective,
ongoing business relationship is formed with a client, but not necessarily with
a customer.
The
difference between a customer and a client is that a customer can be just a
patron, while a client is a patron who also seeks advice. In today's business
world, we don't just have customer service, but we have "client care"
or "client service" departments in many corporations. Most patrons of
a business want to be informed, but those who depend on their relationship with
a business such as a client with a lawyer, need a protective type of
informative business relationship. A client looks to follow the advice and
professional knowledge of a business leader, while a customer may only purchase
goods and services from a business.
In a
client / vendor relationship, the buyer is “under the protection” of the vendor
and becomes dependent upon the ongoing care of the vendor.
Client:
One who is under the protection of another. Customer: One who purchases a
commodity or service.
Q: How do you deal with a customer complaint?
First of
all we should be familiar with customer complaints procedure in our company.
Often that procedure will have specific timescales to respond within, and
specific actions against individuals.
Clearly
these need to be adhered to in order to show that the complaint has been
handled effectively and in accordance with company policy. Take following
actions,
• Allocate the complaint to appropriate person as per company procedure
• Respond in the identified timescale to the client
• Investigate the complaint using defined procedures
• Identify the outcome and course of action to rectify or close out the
complaint.
• Communicate the outcomes and course of action to the client.
• Formally record using appropriate process
• Communicate the lessons learned internally
• Review at a pre-determined date in the future.
Q: How do you act upon feedback received from a client?
The
feedback should be formally recorded in proper way. If obtained through a
customer satisfaction questionnaire then this will form the formal record. If
the feedback is verbal then a formal record should be made.
If the
feedback is negative then it needs to be verified and the necessary course of
action to be taken depending upon the actual feedback. If a formal approach is
required then obviously the company procedure should be followed. It is also
advisable to ensure that feedback is collated in a formal way and fed back into
company through some form of lessons learned process.
Q: What is meant by Client’s money? How you will
manage client’s money.
Any money
held or received by the firms which do not solely belong to the firm. This
money held in trust by a firm on behalf of third parties and which is not due
to the firm. We have to ensure that the money entrusted to you is always:
• Kept separately from your own, your firm’s, your company’s account.
• That this money is clearly identifiable.
• Obtain bank confirmation of account conditions.
• Advise the client and agree terms of account handling in writing.
• Obtain client’s written approval to make payments from their account.
• That the money that belongs to them should be available to them at all
times.
Examples
of client’s money are – Rents, Fees received from client for payment to another
consultant, service charges collected on behalf of client, money due to be paid
to other contractors Purpose of keeping Client’s money is to protect it from
(1) Insolvency
(2) Misappropriation by any party,
(3) Death of sole practitioner.
(1) Insolvency
(2) Misappropriation by any party,
(3) Death of sole practitioner.
Q: The RICS Client’s Money Protection Scheme
Client
who entrust money to firms regulated by RICS are protected in the unlikely
event that the money is mishandled. (Maximum amount is 50,000 Pounds)
Q: Minimum requirements of complaint handling
procedure
Every
firms should have a CHP;
(1) It should be quick, transparent and impartially implemented,
(2) Appoint a person to carryout investigation
(3) Information about complaint handling procedures should be available to clients
(4) If complainant still unhappy with the outcome, they have right for separate review or mediation.
(5) If complainant still unhappy, they have right to refer to independent dispute resolution. (Remember you inform your insurers of the complaints on each stage)
(1) It should be quick, transparent and impartially implemented,
(2) Appoint a person to carryout investigation
(3) Information about complaint handling procedures should be available to clients
(4) If complainant still unhappy with the outcome, they have right for separate review or mediation.
(5) If complainant still unhappy, they have right to refer to independent dispute resolution. (Remember you inform your insurers of the complaints on each stage)
Q: How to complain about a RICS member or firm?
First step
is to complain directly to member or firm as per CHP. Second step to complain
directly to RICS (Online possible)
Q: What are the subjects RICS investigate against
a member or a regulated firm?
Failure
to use complaints handling procedure, Incompetence, Conflicts of interest,
Misuse of client’s money, Failure to answer correspondence, Allegation or a
conviction of a criminal offence.
Q: What is meant by PI insurance?
It is a
third party insurance to cover the damages and losses suffered by a client due
to negligent actions, omissions, errors of a professional.
Q: Why PII is important for the profession and
who does it protect?
If the
liability to exercise ‘reasonable skill and care’ failed to happen. PII is an a
third party insurance aimed to indemnify ones liability and legal costs claimed
arising out of professional negligence. We have to insure ourselves for at
least 6 years after we stop practising. (Similarly till 6 years after one work
is completed)
Insurance
should cover damages; interest on such damages, consequential loss and claimant’s
cost.
All these
adds up. (Rule 6 of schedule 1)
PII works
on a claims made basis (retroactive type). This means it is the policy in place
at the time of a claim that count, not the policy in place when the work was
originally carried out. Hence one need runoff cover as the problems that give
rise to claims may not come to light immediately.
Exclusions
of PII – Claims from environmental contamination (hazards) and pollution.
Q: Does one need personal PII cover
If one
work for a firm as a consultant, no need to take out a personal insurance on
top of that arranged by the firm if they cover you on their policy. The firm’s
policy must be RICS compliant. But make sure that the cover is sufficient in
the event of claims by
(1) Third parties,
(2) Your own owner,
(3) Another party for whom your employer is acting as an agent,
(4) Insurers.
(1) Third parties,
(2) Your own owner,
(3) Another party for whom your employer is acting as an agent,
(4) Insurers.
Avoid
works, even charity, after retirement. If required take a new PII to cover
yourself.
PII is
primarily a consumer protection measure. It is a mandatory requirement for all
those professional and technical members of RICS who offer professional or
technical services to public. As per RICS it is not mandatory for a MRICS to
take a PII who is working for a firm.
Q: What is run-off cover insurance?
PII is
taken for a minimum of six years after retirement of a chartered surveyor. This
is RICS requirement. As per law one may be liable even after this 6 years. (10
years requirement as per U.A.E. civil code)
Q: Limit of liability in PI Insurance
This is
to cap or place a limit on the level of expense a business signs up to in a
formal agreement. This may be in aggregate or for each and every claim.
Q: What should you do if there is a PI claim
against you?
Notify
the insurer immediately which enable the insurer, if necessary, to give advice
on how to proceed. The insured should inform the ‘Circumstances’ to the
insurer.
Q: Assigned Risk Pool (ARP)
This is a
temporary PI insurance facility for RICS members through which insurance cover
is arranged when they are unable to comply with the rules.
Q: Vicarious liability
This
principle dictates that an employer is responsible for the negligent acts or omissions
of his employees when acting in the course of their employment. But this does
not remove employee’s potential liability. Although the employee may not have a
contractual obligation to client, he will incur a direct liability to client in
Tort.
Q: What is meant by Locum & Locum Agreement?
It is a
person who is authorised to manage your practice in your absence. (Long term
absence due to illness, death, holiday longer than one month, unforeseen
events) The agreement between you and the locum is locum agreement. This is an
RICS requirement if you are a sole practitioner of the practice.
Q: Say you had a client with a medium sized plot
of land on which stood a Gregorian house, what type of things would you need to
take into consideration, if, for example the client wanted to redevelop the
land?
(1) Refurbishment or demolition / construction,
(2) Environmental factors,
(3) Development control / Law / Regulations
(4) Form of Contract / Procurement route
(2) Environmental factors,
(3) Development control / Law / Regulations
(4) Form of Contract / Procurement route
Q: If a client came to you with a complaint what
would you do?
Diligently
address as per the Complaint Handling Procedure and advice the client at the
earliest.
Q: You have a client who is a Local Authority for
which you have an appointment but have not yet carried out the service. The
client asks you if he can pay you in advance for that service before the end of
the financial year because otherwise he will lose that money. What is your
response to the client?
Create an
account for client money as per RICS regulation.
Q: How you will communicate with your past
clients? What are the methods?
Distribution
of promotional diaries, calendars.
Conducting
social events such as seminars.
Questionnaire
feed backs.
Q: How do you know that your existing client is
happy?
Repeated
business, questionnaire as per ISO procedure, feed backs from clients.
Q: What are the documents you include in a QS
bid?
Fee
proposal, scope of services, exclusions if any, track record, previous
experience, proposed methodology of work distribution, Curriculum vitae of proposed
staff, resource profile, cash flow forecast, references, case studies.
Source: J Thomas (July 2010)
Source: J Thomas (July 2010)
